Preparing For Nowruz 1390 - Persian New Year 2011!

Here are some suggestions and links to help you prepare for the coming Persian New Year (Spring Equinox)! The following links are a compilation of Nowruz customs, rituals, food, desserts and anything Persian New Year related that has been posted so far on my blog that might give you more information and insights into this ancient, joyful and extremely popular celebration! I hope that you'll find it useful!

On Sunday March 20, 2011, Nowruz starts at 7:21 P.M. here in New York. To find out about the time of sal-e tahvil (start of Nowruz) in your area please see this time table, hopefully your town is listed!

Many things on the haft seen table may be bought up to the last minute but if you are planing to grow your own sabzeh and make your own samanoo you'll need to start soon in order to have everything ready by sal-e tahvil. Otherwise, these days everything that one might need is readily available in Persian supermarkets.

Sabzeh - Growing Seeds
I usually start my sabzeh two weeks before Nowruz. It may not get to be that tall on the haft seen table but since I like to keep it till the 13th of Farvardin, I don't want it to rot too quickly. If you would like to have a full grown and long sabzeh you may want to start now!

In our home there were two ways to make fish for Nowruz. One was frying the fish in a skillet and the other was to serve smoked fish. Our smoked fish back home in Iran was different than the ones I get here. Ours was more tasty and somewhat salty. I like to season the fish with the mixture I make with the following ingredients: salt, pepper, mashed fresh garlic, olive oil and the juice of a fresh lemon. I would spread a thin layer of the sauce on the inside of the fish before placing it in the 300 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 20-30 minutes.

Rose water is used in many of our sweet recipes for flavoring and aroma. I like it so much that I cannot write a dessert recipe without mentioning the use of rose water. For those of you who don't like the aroma, you can use vanilla extract or perhaps orange blossom extract instead.

Looks SO LOVELY,appetizing.I heard about a tradition,the New year's eve you can cook green lintels (Adassi)which it will bring financially a good year for the family!Please,add an article with beautiful photos about Char-Shanbeh-Soori too.You always do it just right.

@Belinda,I think so too! Happy Spring!@Oyster Culture, Thank you! Hope you enjoy your Persian New Year celebration!@ModaresiBeal, Hope you have a wonderful Nowruz celebration with your family!@Three-Cookies, Thank you! The shape of this kind of tea cups are very common in that region.@Mom's the Little one, Thank you so much, Fitri! Enjoy your New Year celebration! Have a Happy Nowruz!@Anonymous, Thank you for your kind words! Nowruz Mobarak!@Linus, wouldn't want you to miss the rituals either! Happy Nowruz!

Thank you so much for this beautiful website. Our family has celebrated Nowruz for the past three years. I have fallen in love with all things Persian and will refer to this website again and again to explore these recipes and to cruise these exquisite photos. Thank you. Our feast this year was heavenly thanks to several of your recipes.

I love your blog, though I am yet to try one of your recipes, but the presentation and food looks PERFECT!! Your beautiful presentation reminds me of my mom's cooking, she used to make such elaborate meals and loved to decorate with herbs and spices :) Thanks such a beautiful visual feast!